A Forced Hand and a Sudden Departure

‘She’s trying to force my hand, isn’t she…?’

‘If I don’t give in to her wishes and comply with her words, Jiang Ningwan will likely find ways to pester me endlessly.’

Yet, upon careful reflection, for an ordinary woman like her to fall for him…

And to be so stubbornly persistent…

‘She truly must be a blind girl.’

‘No matter.’

Amidst the impending chaos of the mortal realm, it’s best to leave no regrets.

‘If I don’t grant her this opportunity…’

‘The chances of her straying due to obsession are quite high.’

Zhuang Xun had witnessed his fair share of romantic entanglements.

Within the cultivation world’s web of grievances, over ninety percent of those unable to let go eventually succumbed to demonic paths.

This was a statistic he had gathered during his leisurely travels in the mortal world, with nothing better to do.

After all, at his core, he was still an author from the real world, and this topic genuinely piqued his interest.

Therefore, with a woman as stubborn as Jiang Ningwan…

Even if he explicitly rejected her affections…

The outcome would most likely not be the ideal one of simply forgetting each other in the vast world.

‘Indeed, the word “love” is the most challenging thing for humans.’

“Ningwan…”

“Why bother with such superficial titles?”

Zhuang Xun uttered the two words, filling Jiang Ningwan’s heart with joyous excitement.

Her reply, too, carried a hint of delight: “Immortal Master, you speak amiss.”

“If the Immortal Master continues to address Ningwan with such formal titles…”

“It would make me feel as though Ningwan holds no place in the Immortal Master’s heart.”

“But now…”

“The Immortal Master’s change in demeanor offers me a glimmer of hope…”

“So, it seems I’ve fallen victim to your honey trap, haven’t I?”

Zhuang Xun let out a sigh, seemingly resigned. With a flick of his finger, a dark robe from a nearby hanger settled onto his shoulders.

He rose, walked into the sunlight streaming through the window, and stretched. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Immortals and mortals walk different paths. The outcome you desire may not be what you achieve…”

“And your affections are but a drop in the ocean to me, dispensable…”

Dappled sunlight illuminated his face, casting his shadow, creating a chiaroscuro effect.

Zhuang Xun merely turned his head slightly and continued, “So, please choose carefully, lest you squander the rest of your life.”

“Immortal Master…”

Jiang Ningwan gazed at Zhuang Xun’s solitary retreating figure and whispered softly.

“I’m going to guide Li Shuang in her cultivation now…”

“I still hope, Ningwan, that you will truly think things through and not make a decision that brings you no benefit out of momentary impulse.”

“Farewell.”

Zhuang Xun departed with an air of nonchalance. Jiang Ningwan remained seated for a long time, her eyes gently closed.

She seemed to be murmuring to herself: ‘Immortal Master… I am already of this age… and rarely act on impulse…’

‘Especially when it comes to choosing a partner…’

‘If I hadn’t considered it deeply, how could I have spoken such words…?’

****

Zhuang Xun made his way to the rear courtyard of the Jiang Estate.

He observed Jiang Lishuang, who was meditating on the lawn.

Though it was almost noon, a thin layer of frost had formed beneath her.

Her eyes were gently closed, and an icy-blue spiritual glow emanated from her body.

‘Her progress is truly swift… she’s almost broken through to the early stage of Qi Condensation…’

‘She is truly a natural-born uncut jade.’

He recalled his own past, when he was still a mortal.

Merely cleansing his marrow, purifying his bones, and unblocking all his meridians had taken him nearly a decade.

Fortunately, he possessed a privilege most transmigrators lacked: the ability to control the flow of time within the Heavenly Dao Space.

Otherwise, if he had to cultivate diligently in the outside world, it would have taken him at least tens of thousands of years to reach the ultimate dao realm of the myriad heavens.

By the time he emerged then, the protagonist would likely have died countless times over.

However, later, in his efforts to resolve some major troubles, he had overexerted himself, leaving behind a chronic ailment.

‘If your mother hadn’t set her sights on the wrong person and decided to pursue me…’

‘I would have wanted to teach you even more secret arts…’

In truth, when Zhuang Xun had divined Jiang Ningwan’s fate…

The first person he thought of who could truly ‘tame’ such a destiny was himself.

As for others who fit the criteria, they were either long dead and buried or not yet born.

This truly gave him the feeling of being uniquely targeted.

‘But, whatever.’

‘He had plenty of Oblivion Pills anyway. If all else failed, he could just feed her a few more.’

“Daoist friend, are you overseeing your disciple’s cultivation?”

Zhuang Xun lowered his brows, fixing an exceptionally “amiable” gaze upon the speaker.

“You two brothers abandoned me with Madam Jiang and ran off for days. Do you really have the nerve to return?”

“Heh heh…”

Shangwen chuckled twice, placed a hand on Zhuang Xun’s shoulder, and whispered conspiratorially with a wink:

“Daoist friend, as the saying goes, one must not disappoint a beauty’s affections.”

“We brothers were merely giving Madam Jiang some space to make her move.”

“Heh heh… a wandering cultivator like myself cannot be entangled in too many romantic karmic ties…” Zhuang Xun shrugged off Shangwen’s hand, retorting irritably, “Otherwise, I’ll be plagued by inner demons.”

“So, by that logic, Daoist friend, you already know Madam Jiang’s intentions?”

She was practically sitting on his lap professing her love; how could he not know?

“What if I do know…?”

“We are people walking entirely different paths. Even if we were together, no good would come of it.”

Zhuang Xun shook his head slightly, indicating his reluctance to discuss the topic further.

“Uh…”

Shangwu patted Shangwen’s shoulder, then stepped forward. “Alright, since Daoist friend doesn’t wish to discuss it, let’s talk about something else.”

“Over the past few days, we two have been cultivating while wandering within dozens of miles around Yuelong County…”

“We discovered some scattered formation flags imbued with malevolent qi.”

As he spoke, Shangwu retrieved nine formation flags from his storage ring, each etched with totems of ancient fierce beasts.

Zhuang Xun picked one up and, at a glance, recognized them as formation flags used to set up a malevolent array for soul-snatching and soul-devouring.

At this moment, Shangwen chimed in, “Moreover, today we saw two contingents of government officials heading this way, and their ranks also carried a similar aura.”

‘Government officials…’

Zhuang Xun pondered for a moment, quickly grasping the underlying reason.

“How much longer until they arrive?”

“Given their marching speed… they should arrive tonight,” Shangwu replied.

“…”

“Let’s go. We’re leaving the Jiang Estate now.”

Zhuang Xun, without a second thought, prepared to slip away.

This left Shangwu somewhat puzzled: “Daoist friend, there might be demonic cultivators among that contingent. Are we really going to leave?”

“Temporarily.”

****

Along a wide official road.

Carts laden with grain and fodder slowly followed two opulent carriages.

Dozens of soldiers escorted them, both in front and behind, their steps neat and unhurried.

Although the road was bumpy, it did not dampen the spirits of the two officials in robes inside the carriage.

“Lord Liang, are these four spellcasters behind us reliable?”

A slightly shorter secretary asked the young man seated opposite him.

“Ha~” The young man yawned, opening his bleary eyes. “How would I know that…?”

“I’m not a cultivator; how would I understand their abilities…?”

“But we’re almost at Yuelong County, and Lord Liang is the newly appointed magistrate…”

“In the future, you’ll always need to ask them to handle some unsavory matters.”

“I was entrusted by my grandfather to come here and earn a bit of money, not to commit murder or arson… what’s so unsavory about that?”

The young man retorted grumpily, then flopped onto his side, waving a dismissive hand. “I’m going to sleep a bit more. Secretary, remember to wake me when we arrive, alright…?”

“Sigh…”

‘This Young Master Liang is truly accustomed to a life of debauchery…’

‘He asks about nothing, understanding neither human relations nor reason…’

‘How will I ever be able to amass wealth peacefully like this…?’